Well surveying device



May ll, 1943. G. 1 Ko'rHNY WELL SURVEYING DEVICE Filed June 29, 1940Patented May 11, 1943 ICE WELL SURVEYING DEVICE Gottdank' L. Kothny,

Strafford, Pa., assignor to Sperry-Sun Well Surveying delphla, Pa., acorporationof Company, Phila- Delaware Application June 29, 1940, SerialNo. 343,183

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a well surveying device, and has particularreference to a timing means for determining the time of making a record.f

In single shot photographic well surveying devices, for example, of thetype of that disclosed patent to Hewitt- 2,116,350, dated May 3. 1938,the time at which the exposure is made and the duration of the exposureare controlled by means of a watch controlling an electrical which it issubjected at a drilling rig.

No1; only photographic instruments, but other well surveying instrumentsas well require timing ment, there are occasions when timing rathervthan control by handlingmay be desirable.

The liquid u'sedmay be aqueous electrolyte as described below. Eachotthese has particular advantages depending upon the Itype of well lFigure2 is a vertical axial sectizmal view through the timing element Figure 3is a wiring diagram of the timing element and its electricalconnections;

Figure 4 is a partial wiring diagram showingV either mercury or anrelay. Additionally such elements 'lvl which provides a bottom thealternative arrangement involved if a relay isused: and

Figure 5 is a vertical axial section through a modied timing elementinvolving only a single pair rather than two pairs of electrodes.

The well surveying instrument illustrated is, generally speaking, of thetype described in said Hewitt Patent 2,116,350, and comprises aprotective casing 2,' provided with a lower nose plug 4 and an upperplug i to which a wire line is to be vattacheqgl for lowering theinstrument in a bore hole. The operating parts of the surveyinginstrument are contained in an inner casingl within which is pendulum l2and a lens Il for projecting images of ythe pendulum and compass upon aphotographically sensitized disc Il held in a clamping device Il ofconventional character. To produce will be pointed out later, the lamps20 vices the wiring arrangement o f Figure4 is used, a may be hereincluded as are necessary for special applications. Above ,theseelements there is indicated at 24 atiming device per se. At the toplocated a floating compass I0, a

indicated at 22 including batteries and, if

' tion after the apparatus is assembled.

trol the slow iiow of liquid from I mented to the metal cylinders.

trolyte.

- With the use of mercury cylinder and a top wall for the lower one. topof the upper cylinder is closed.- by a cap member 3d and .the lower endof the lower cylinder by a cap member 38. `As will be evident hereafter,these closures are to be of a substantially permanent nature to beremoved only in. the event that repairs or replacements are erably theseends are brazed or soldered in posi-` Communicating with an opening inthe member 3d is a tube du which, at its lower end, carries a calibratedorice member d2 designed to con-A the upper into the lower chamber. Alsocommunicating with an opening in extends adjacent the top of the uppercylinder 3d.

An electrode disc i6 is carried by an insulating member d8 provided witha series of openings et extending about it to provide for the freepassage of liquid. A set screw 5d holds the member it in fixed positionin the cylinder 3d. The electrode d@ is connected by'means of aninsulated wire 52 to the contact element 5t previously mentioned, whichis set in an insulating insert 56 in the cap 36.

A second electrode 53 in located in the lower cylinder32, being held inthe upper end of a Bakeli or similar insert tu provided with openings 8dto permit free passage of iluid and held in position in the cylinder bymeans of a set screw 82. As will be described hereafter, bridgingbetween the electrode 58 and the walls of the cylinder involve thehighest resistance possible, and consequently belowthe .electrode t8 themember E@ is desirably provided with a skirt portion 65 to interruptliquidcontinuity even in the form of a `iiilm between the electrode teof the cylinder. Additionally, an lector member 59 is preferably thedisc @il to deflect from the owing from the orifice.

' The electrode 5% is connected insulated wire 6B to a contact member 68carried in an insulating insert 'EU in the lower closure cap or plug 3B.

In the particular the form of a disc .is

insulated de disc .the liquid 'wiring arrangement which thel member 8dis a tube lid, whichA located above or other metal parts coming incontactwith the required. Pref- -plicabla For example, the

liquid, i. e., the cylinders 30 and 32,;should be made of pure copper,so that the electrolysis results merely in the solution of copper fromone surface and deposition on another. Desirably, conditions are soadjusted as to eliminate the release of gas. Other materials are equallyapinterior electrode `surfaces of the cylinders may heavily plated withsilver. In such case, the elec- -upper surface of 32 by liquid shouldand the walls by means of anl will be described, the metal portions ofthe" casing v of the timing device must be insulated from the casing othe apparatus, and for this purpose the upper and lower cylinders aresurrounded by insulating sleeves i2 and le, respectively, which may takethe form of rubber tubing ce- The timing device may contain as theoperating liquid either mercury will remain operative indeilnitely.

of an aqueous electrolyte, which, for example, may be a solution of acopper salt such aathe sulphate or nitrate. In such case,

or an aqueous elec- ,l

the metalv parts of of the order of Vrent of no more than a fewmilliamperes.

,armature 83 electrolytes are equally applicable with proper choice ofthe electrode and wall materials.

.An aqueous electrolyte has the advantage of permitting the apparatus tobe smaller with greater freedom of choice of the orlce size, becauseless surface tension is involved, and'also less weight. On the otherhand, electrolytic solution and deposition would occur, and unless thecurrents are small, this solution and deposition will be sumcientlyrapid to require replacement of. the electrodes and the cylinders. Inthe case oi an aqueous electrolyte -of this type,

'itis desirable to coat certain of the parts which it is not desired toreplace, for example, the the plugs 34 and 3e, so that only thecylinders need be replaced.l As will be evident hereafter, mercury maybe used to carry heavy currents directly through the device, while if anaqueous electrolyte is used, .a relay is preferably involved capable ofbeing voperated. by currents a. few milliamperes.

It will be evident that instead of using the cylinder walls as.electrodes additional separate electrodes may beVV used. The walls formcon venient electrodes, however, sincev requirements involving denitelevels may be satised by predetermined positioning of small electrodessuch as #it and 5d.

The timing device is associated with other elee ments, which, may takevarious forms, depend-v ing on the particular for example, the timingdevice is in series with a battery and a lamp 82. The casing may beregarded as the ground ofthe instrument. This arrangement issatisfactory 82 requires considerable current if mercury is used as theoperating liquid. y

If, on the other hand, an electrolyte is desirably used, the wiringdiagram of Figure 4 may be adopted to prevent the passage of largecurrents throughthe timing apparatus. lower contact 68 o! the timingdevice is connected to the battery 1S having in series with it andconnected to ground the relay coil 8l, the relay being of a type adaptedto close upon passage of a cur- The of the relay -is connected in serieswith a battery 85 and a lamp 81, Vor other element which may requirea'considerablygreater current for its operation. Thus, while a largecurrent is controlled, only a small current ows through the device,permitting repeated operations without damage due to would require earlyreplacement of parts.

,Assumingior the purpose of explanation a photographic well' surveyinginstrument of the type illustrated in Figure l, in which a record ismade by the timed lamps such as 28, indicated in the wiring diagram ofFigure 3 at 82, or in the alternative wiringdiagram or Figure 4 at 81,the devicel is operated as follows:

the electrodes "(5 After an be silvered, the cylin-v ders taking theform of brass or other cylinders requirements. In Figure'3, l

even if the lamp In this case, the

electrolysis, which illumination'of a lamp or series of.

operation of the device is completed,`

.the electrolyte will be located in the lower cylinof the particulararrangement for providing for the der 32. Normally the timing devlceiskept in this bridging o1' electrodes by the liquid. As an position priorto assembly. When the instruexample, reference may be made to the'deviceo1' ment is made up for operation, lt may be made Figure 5, whichinvolves essentially the timed flow up in' inverted position by droppinginto the pro- 5 principles of Winn Patent 2,134,808, dated Novemtectivecasing the various elements after removal ber 1, 1938, and of Davisapplication Serial No,

upper cylinder through the tube 44, -venting of li sertion, the liquid1B will ilow rapidly into the through a'calibrated orice 88, the liquid.which cylinder 30 is of such size and contains such Alivery thlOliBhSiphon 92 iS taking Place, and then amount of liquid that when theinstrument is in drops, being delivered into a receiving chamberinverted position, the electrode 46 is above the 98 COmmlmiCatng Withthe receiving Chamber liquid surface, Thus no engagement of the liquid9| lis a tube |00 surrounding the lower leg o! the with electrode 46takes place in this reverse ilow. im Siphon 92, While a vent and liquidreturn tube 'I'liis prevents any operation during the return |02 extendsfrom the top of the record chamber iiow of liquid to the upper cylinder.y into the top of the supply chamber 86, there being As the instrumentstarts into the bore hole provided a. vent opening |03 in this tube inthe ergized. The liquid slowly flows through the orifree 110W Of liquid.An insulated wire l I0 con- :tce 42 at a rate determined by its openingand o nects the electrode |04 with a lower contact H2. drops into thelower cylinder, being deilected from Ih this apparatus, the electrodeCOOPeratlng With the electrode K58 by the deflectng element 59 aboveelectrode |04 iS Provided by the inner Walls of that electrode. Theelectrode 48 is submerged the Chamber 9.4- Th? timing device is groundedls submerged ,by accumulation of llquld lu the 35 connected in the samefashion as contact 68 ot lower cylinder there is no circuit completedthe preceding modlficatiohthrough the timing device 24. The design issuch In the Operation of this device a circuit is comy 40 the liquidsubsides from that Contact. As dee arrangement is such that the liquidrises scribed in said Davis application, inversion of this to electrode58, before it uncovers the electrode apparatus results in return 0f theliquid t0. the 46. 'I'he result is that a circuit is completed from 1ecevng Chambel- The OW involved need 110|? the electrode 46 through theliquid to the wall oi' be described in detail since it is identical withthe upper cylinder, and thence from the wall of .l5 that descrbed'n Saidapplicationthe lower cylinder through the liquid in the lower What Iclaim and desire t0 Protect by Letters cylinder and the electrode 58.The current thus Patent is: n l flowing closes the circuit through thelamp az 1. An electrical timing means comprisinsaplu- `or the relay alIand ln the latter case the lamp rality of chambers, means forcontrolling now of g w-lll be energized This now of current wn- 50electrically conductive Iliquid .from one chamber made.

condition, the lamps belng'deenergized.L met Withv Said liquid, andelectrode means ar- After the instrument is brought to the surface,rltnged in the latter chamber to be electrically the upper chamber Wwithout completing the mined 110W. control circuit. Thus no secondexposure will be l2. An electrical timing means comprising a plu- Itwill be evidentthat the timing device conv trois both the delayin themaking or the record i to another. both of Said chambers having internaland the time oi.' exposure or other operation durconductive wallselectrically connected to each lng which the record is made. Thedelayvbefore other and adapted to makeelectrical contact.with

